How to Start Conversations in Chinese (Part 2)

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Whether you're a beginner or an intermediate learner, these conversation starters will give you the confidence to engage in meaningful dialogues with native Mandarin Chinese speakers.

Here is part two of our article.

Starting a Conversation with a Stranger in Chinese:

One of the easiest ways to start a conversation with someone you don’t know is to make a comment about something in the current environment, e.g. the weather. When you do that it is likely that the other person will comment on it too. So, let’s consider a few different situations:

You’re outside:

今天天气非常热！jīn tiān tiān qì fēi cháng rè！It’s really hot today！

太冷了！tài lěng le ！It’s really cold!

看起来要下雨了。kàn qǐ lái yào xià yǔ le. It looks like it’s going to rain.

你的小狗真可爱。它叫什么名字？nǐ de xiǎo gǒu zhēn kě ài . tā jiào shén me míng zi ？Your dog is so cute! What’s its name?

You’re at a work conference. At a conference you can ask for someone’s opinion of an event:

刚才的呈现非常好，我学了很多东西。你呢？gāng cái de chéng xiàn fēi cháng hǎo, wǒ xué le hěn duō dōng xi . nǐ ne ？That was a great presentation – I learned a lot. How about you?

Or you can ask what company they work for:

你在哪家公司上班？nǐ zài nǎ jiā gōng sī shàng bān ？What company do you work for?

You’re at a party. If you’re at a party, you can start by asking how they know the host of the party:

你是怎样认识小张的？nǐ shì zěn yàng rèn shi xiǎo zhāng de ？How do you know Xiaozhang?

You can also give the person a compliment or ask where they are from:

你的连衣裙真漂亮！nǐ de lián yī qún zhēn piāo liang ！Your dress is really nice!

你是上海人吗？nǐ shì shàng hǎi rén ma ？Are you Shanghainese?

Another option is to make a comment about the food and drinks, or the music...

你吃过那些饺子吗？味道好极了！nǐ chī guò nà xiē jiǎo zi ma ？wèi dào hǎo jí le ！Have you tried the dumplings? They’re delicious!

You’re at an art exhibition:

这幅画真有意思。你觉得呢？zhè fú huà zhēn yǒu yì si . nǐ jué de ne ？That’s an interesting painting. What do you think of it?

You’re at a bar or club:

这首歌真好听，我喜欢爵士。你呢？zhè shǒu gē zhēn hǎo tīng ，wǒ xǐ huan jué shì. nǐ ne ？This is a great song – I like Jazz. How about you?

You’re at a coffee shop:

这里的咖啡怎么样？zhè lǐ de kā fēi zěn me yàng ？How’s the coffee here?

You’re at a park or playground:

你的女儿真可爱！她多大了？nǐ de nǚ ér zhēn kě ài ！ tā duō dà le？Your daughter is so lovely! How old is she?

And there you have it! With these phrases and topics, you're now ready to start a conversation in Chinese with anyone. Remember, practice makes progress. So, don't be shy to use what you've learned in the real world.

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